


Tour of the Heart

by loonierlovegood, wildharv



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Celebrity, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Mutual Pining, Not Nice to betty, archie and ronnie are singers, cheryl is a model and artist, jughead writes for buzzfeed, more tags will (probably) be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-01-16 08:26:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18517669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonierlovegood/pseuds/loonierlovegood, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildharv/pseuds/wildharv
Summary: For Veronica, having her best friend and maybe-girlfriend with her during her first tour is all she could have ever wanted.When Archie and Jughead decide to try and figure out if Cheryl and Veronica will date, she has to groan.It’s the chance of a lifetime to cover Veronica Lodge’s first tour for Jughead, but he has a hard time concentrating on work when Arch Andrews is also along for the ride. Jug can’t imagine Archie ever giving him a shot. Can he manage writing, touring, and possibly love over just one summer?Archie loves touring with his best friend, Veronica, especially when it comes with the added bonus of a career boost, but things get complicated when reporter Jughead Jones and model Cheryl Blossom come along for the ride. As much as he tries to find love for Veronica, Archie can’t help wondering if he has a chance at something real with Jughead.There’s no way Cheryl could say no to hopping on the tour bus with maybe-girlfriend Veronica Lodge. Yet when her old college friend Jughead mentions that he thinks Veronica’s opening act-the one and only Arch Andrews-is cute, she just has to make sure they end up together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! Me (jay) and loonierlovegood (star) are writing this fic together! the first chapter was written by both of us, but for the rest we'll be taking turns. star'll be writing the next chapter, and their chapters will be from archie or jugheads pov (and will focus on jarchie). my chapters, on the other hand, will be from cheryl or veronicas pov (and focus on cheronica)

  
  


  
  
  


****

**Veronica Lodge Just Announced Her Next Tour and I Am Living For It** ****  
By Jughead Jones   
  
If you haven’t heard of Veronica Lodge yet, you must be living under a rock. 

  
  


She’s a pop sensation that exploded into the scene with her first song “Pearl Necklace”,  and she’s only gotten better since then. 

  
  


She recently announced her new album, and with that, her next tour with friend and fellow singer Archie Andrews. 

 

 

The tour, dubbed the Pretty Game tour begins in January in the singers hometown of New York. 

  


From there, she will be traveling across the country. In addition,  she has dropped hints  on her Instagram and Twitter implying that she might have a stop or two in Canada. 

  
  


Wherever she ends up going, I’m certainly excited for this tour!

  
  
  


**We’re Pretty Game for Pretty Game**

_ Elizabeth Cooper _

 

The time has finally come for Veronica Lodge to go on her very first nationwide, and possibly worldwide tour. Two months after dropping her debut “Pretty Game” album, the freshly minted popstar is taking on the United States. Following the release of two music videos for standout singles “He Knows He’s Trouble” and “Wish of Pearls,” it appears that she has no intention of waiting around, or letting her breakout career fizzle out.

 

“I don’t think I’m a one-hit wonder, I want to do this as a career,” Lodge told  _ Enquirer _ reporter in an exclusive interview. “Music is something I love, and something that just fuels me. I wrote songs before I had an album out, I’ll keep writing songs after.”

 

She’s going nowhere anytime soon, and her audience is only growing. With connections to celebrities both high and low on the Hollywood totem pole, Lodge is going to be a star to remember. You only have to listen to her voice blend with Jo Samuels to know that Veronica Lodge is simply unforgettable. 

 

Archie Andrews, an artist known for his small-town indie EPs and jaw-dropping smile, told us that, “She’s the kind of person who walks into a room and everyone turns around. I’m not surprised Ronnie’s gotten this far.” Andrews declined to comment on rumors surrounding his and Ms. Lodge’s relationship, although we suspect that sharing a tour bus doesn’t seem like something friends do. He will be touring with Veronica, as an opening act and the guitarist on her band.

 

Fan hype surrounding the tour is spreading like wildfire. Pop-up shops have sold out across the country, and Veronica’s Instagram account has recently climbed to 10 million followers. The  _ Enquirer  _ got the inside scoop on how her fanbase feels at her recent concert at Madison Square Garden in the singer’s hometown of New York City.

 

“I just love the songs she puts out,” one fan said, “It’s like she takes everything in her heart and throws it into the song, and you feel that.”

 

“She’s an amazing performer, and her voice is even better live,” another said. As someone attending that concert, I can only agree. Lodge sings like a nightingale.

 

However, not everyone shares the same sentiment about the up and coming star. “She’s another pop star who writes songs about hating men,” one middle-aged gentlemen said, attending the show with his teenage son. “I don’t see what’s special or new about that.”

 

Yet one thing that makes Lodge stand out from the crowd of female artists is her open and vocal support of the LGBT community. She has publicly come out as bisexual, and makes it clear with the song “She Thinks He Likes You” that she doesn’t intend on staying quiet on that anytime soon.

 

Veronica Lodge has appeared alongside LGBT artists such as Troye Sivan and Janelle Monae, and continues to use her social media platforms to support the community. Her tour is not yet sold out, and you can purchase tickets  here .

 

_ Elizabeth Cooper is a lifestyle reporter for the Enquirer, and holds a B.A. in journalism from the the University of North Carolina. _

 

**She Thinks He Likes You**

 

[spoken]Didn’t know how to say this

But I thought I should tell someone

 

There’s someone I know

And there’s someone I don’t

Don’t know where this will go

But I’m not dreaming about shaved sides

Wanna run my hands through her hair

 

She thinks he likes you

But I think I like her

And now she’s telling me to go, go

Go for it, get him girl

 

But I’d rather pull her in for a kiss

Even though it’s not like that

I wish she could see 

The things in my head

I wish she could hear

 

‘Cause he’s cute, yeah but

Gym rats aren’t my type

Even if he’s got a nice ass

‘Cause he just wants my body

But I’d let you take my heart

 

Oh!

She thinks he likes you

But I think I like her

And I wanna, I wanna come forward

Tell the whole world I like her

 

Her lips want me to kiss her

I don’t know how I’ve lasted this long

Without my arms around her

 

She thinks he likes you

But I think I like her

  
  
  
  
  


 


	2. Chapter 2

It was another day at the office for Jughead Jones, who had long since given up on being called Forsythe, or, god forbid, Forsythe  _ Pendleton _ . The nickname had stuck with him since high school, and at this point he was fine with it being his byline. According to his boss, it made him more “clickable.” Whatever, he worked at Buzzfeed, and not in the serious news section either.

  
Nah, mostly lifestyle and fluff pieces. The sheer volume of internet quizzes and “Top Ten” lists Jug had made was ridiculous. He was up for an  _ actual  _ assignment, the sort of thing he went to journalism school for. Not comparing small fluffy dogs, though they  _ were  _ pretty cute.

 

“Jughead, can you come into my office for a quick sec!” his boss said, her voice peppy as usual. He used to drink coffee before working here, but there wasn’t any left with Ethel there. She drank caffeine like some of Jughead’s friends drank alcohol:to excess.

 

“Yeah, be out in a second,” Jughead said, absentmindedly scrolling through his twitter feed.  _ Ugh, another Arch Andrews fan account. I mean, I know why it’s being suggested, but… _

 

“This week, Jughead!” Ethel persisted.  _ Can’t we do this over email? _ Jughead thought, closing his laptop and walking into her cubicle.

 

“So, we’re in a very unique position right now,” Ethel said, shuffling around the files on her desk and sorting them into stacks. “Normally, I’d send someone a little more seasoned, but because of your age, your degree, and the fact that everyone else in the meeting room suddenly was  _ swamped  _ with work when I suggested it, you’ve got to cover it, Jugs.” She looked up at him, eyes blown wide in excitement. A little too wide, actually. There was definitely a crack-addict vibe going on there.

 

But still. An actual story, in this economy. That was new. Although Jug didn’t see how his age fit into it, there wasn’t an employee here over 35. At twenty-two, he was basically middle aged compared to the eighteen year old interns passing through.“Ok. Um, what is it?”

 

“Veronica Lodge. We need someone to cover her tour, she’s a breakout star and we want the exclusive before some trash gossip picks it up. Her people said they want someone who can live-in on the tour, someone who won’t get super starstruck, and a big feature article. It’s a risk, but you’re the best candidate, assuming they like you.” Ethel looked at Jughead, sizing him up from black jeans to flannel to beanie. The only thing that could top this outfit off was some avocado toast. “I think you’ll work, but the question is whether you want to do it or not. It’s going to be months on the road, away from home…”

 

“Of course. I’ll do it, I would love to cover their tour.”  _ And Archie Andrews _ . “When do I meet them and all that stuff?” Jughead was doing a very bad job of concealing his enthusiasm. This offer had two things he was head over heels for: An actual article, and Arch Andrews.

 

Ethel looked slightly perturbed that he’d agreed so quickly, but didn’t seem to care. “Ah, a week from now or so. I’ll let everyone know you’ve agreed.” Ethel typed something on her computer, probably that email. “In the meantime, I think they need another books quiz? There should be an email, they really liked the Great American Novels one you did.”

 

Like that, he was dismissed to his desk. Jughead found the email and got to work, but all he could think about was his new assignment. Months in a tour bus with Veronica Lodge and Archie Andrews. Veronica was destined to be a legendary singer, if you asked Jughead, which made the assignment enticing. What made it even more compelling was Archie Andrews, the guy who Jug had been crushing on since, oh, he’d known he existed. About two months ago.

 

It started out innocently enough. He was looking for “rare”(not mainstream) music for an “article”(top 15 list), and came across Arch on youtube. One video of the guy and his guitar and Jug was a lost cause. He’d been caught making heart eyes at his computer enough to tarnish his reputation, but losing his intimidation factor couldn’t make Jug stop stalking his twitter, instagram, facebook, tumblr, google+ (before it died), youtube, snapchat…well, everything. 

 

Now he was going to get to spend four months in a tour bus with the guy? The angels had answered Jughead’s prayers, and he put together his stupid quiz on autopilot, lost in a fantasy world.

 

He finished in no time, and didn’t even bother opening up another window to stalk Archie Andrews’ Instagram. Hey, at this point it was  _ research _ , not…gaping at his abs. Well, it was kind of both but Jughead was sticking with the research story in case Ethel walked by. 

 

Jughead’s phone pinged with a text from Cheryl. He looked at the message.

 

_ accompany me to a photoshoot darling? _

 

Well, he could use the excuse, and he missed Cheryl. He hadn’t seen her in weeks, and he needed to ask her about the twitter flirting he’d seen between her and Veronica Lodge. If this whole article thing worked out, Jug had to get the two of them together, or at least try. It was the least he could do for the friend who had kept him from losing his shit basically on the daily during college. His fingers tapped out a message.

 

_ Sure. When and where? _

 

Cheryl texted back within a second.

 

_ Tmrw 4:00 the cherry blossom tree _

 

_ The what now? I have no idea where that is. AM or PM? _

 

_ ugh it’s at city park. and pm wtf jug _

 

_ I never know with your crazy model life.    _

 

_ jug i haven’t been awake at 4 am since college you know this _

 

_ Just being thorough, sorry. Thanks for the info, can’t wait to see you there _

 

A message from Toni appeared at the top of his screen, asking him to go out for coffee. Jughead clicked off his phone. Eh, it was breaktime anyways. He left the office.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“tilt your head a little to the left… a little more… there!” the photographer snapped a photo. “now... move your arm up a little… a little more... oh wait no move it down… perfect!”

cheryl sighed internally. she loved her job, sure, and she loved the freedom it offered, but she wished it wasn't so goddamn tedious all the time. sometimes she wanted to do something with more variety. something more like the art she did in her free time, only as a career. cheryl pondered this choice for a few minutes. did she have enough modeling money and royalties to be able to rely on art to sustain herself?

“alright, ms. blossom, that’s all for right now. i think that boy over there in the beanie has been waiting for you.” the photographer gestured to jughead with an amused smile. cheryl thanked him, walking over to the tree where jughead was standing.

“hey,” the raven haired boy greeted cheryl. “wanna grab a bite to eat?”

“please, i’m starving,” the redhead responded. “there’s a great salad place nearby, wanna go?”

the pair headed towards the salad place, and continued to talk once they sat down.

“so… i have exciting news…” jughead began.

“spill.”

“i may or may not have gotten a real article…” cheryl clapped. “and that article may or may not include going on veronica lodge’s tour and writing about it.”

“arch is going on that tour too, right? like the arch andrews you’ve been crushing on since… literally forever?”

“yes. and shut up, it’s only been like, a few months. speaking of the tour, has veronica invited you along yet? you two are…” jughead paused to emphasize the next word. “...close.”

“okay, first of all, you scoundrel! second of all, not formally. she invited me last week when we got lunch but she said-“

“hold on, hold on,” jughead said, cutting cheryl off. “you had lunch with veronica and didn’t tell me about it? have you forgotten that i am the number one ‘cheronica’ stan?” he made air quotes around the ship name.

cheryl cursed under her breath. “i meant to tell you about it, just… it didn’t necessarily come up?”

“cheryl blossom, i cannot believe you would keep this from me, your best friend.” jughead draped himself over the table dramatically.

“shut up, you disaster twink. yes, veronica and i had lunch. she was in town and i was free. are you happy?”

“hell no, cher. you know you gotta spill all of the deets. what was she wearing, what did you eat- you’ve got me invested in the cheronica love story now.”

cheryl rolled her eyes. “you don’t need to know everything about my love life. but, for your information, she was wearing a gorgeous black dress. we went to that grill we love- the one with the really good veggie burgers?”

“you went to grillby’s without me? i’m wounded.”

“there aren’t exactly lots of good, cheap vegetarian places around, jughead. and we had to go somewhere.” jughead glared at his best friend. “anyways, jug, we talked about normal things. her tour, my work, et cetera. then she invited me on the tour with her. after that, ronnie asked me over on saturday to help her pack. are you happy now?”

jughead narrowed his eyes. “you’ve sated my curiosity…for now.”

the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence, both content to eat for a few minutes.

“hey,” cheryl began, breaking the silence. “you never gave me all the details about your arrangement with veronica and arch. also, i’m finished and ready to leave.”

“let’s go then. and there’s nothing to tell you- not yet at least. this is not a cheronica-type situation, so don’t get your hopes up. i’ll be going on tour and travelling with them so i can write an article, nothing more.”

“if you insist!”


	4. Chapter 4

 

Television appearances were part of the big life Archie had always wanted, but it didn’t mean he had to enjoy them. Fortunately, this was a short interview, just a youtube video to go with an article. He’d barely be on stage for an hour. Still, the cameras and lights were a lot for Arch. He was a former jock, after all, and the spotlight was never his strong suit.

 

Veronica gave him a smile from her chair, keeping her head perfectly still so that the makeup team could do their job. Archie was trapped in a similar situation, trying not to sneeze at the powders. Well, if he could sing and play guitar onstage,  _ talking  _ in front of a camera shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

A woman with a high blond ponytail pulled up a chair from an empty makeup stand to sit in front of them. “Hi, I’m Betty Cooper and I’ll be interviewing you both today.”

 

“Betty Cooper? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I might know you from somewhere,” Archie said, trying to puzzle what it was about her that was familiar. She didn’t look like anyone from Chicago, but maybe Littleton? Definitely a small-town vibe, and he hadn’t talked to people from his childhood home in years.

 

Betty looked surprised by the fact, her mouth dropping into a small o. “I think our mothers might have known each other… you’re Mary’s son, right?, I’m Alice Cooper’s daughter.” Something in her tone made Archie think that she was planning on this, but Veronica cut off his response.

 

“Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but aren’t you supposed to be going over the questions we’ll be asked and how much we can promote the tour? I really want to know what the planned length for this segment is,” Veronica said, and Archie realized they were on in ten minutes. Thank goodness for Veronica and her ability to keep things on track.

 

“Oh, right!” Betty didn’t look too happy with being asked to do her job. “It will be a three to five minute segment, and we want to discuss the tour as well as what goes on behind the scenes. Our readers are very interested in your…friendship.”

 

“Sounds great,” Archie said, giving her the smile that earned him more than one eggplant emoji comment. “I haven’t seen you in forever, since middle school, I think?”

 

“It’s been a while, yeah. A  _ lot  _ has happened since you left for the Windy City,” Betty said, smiling. “I can’t believe our paths are crossing again, after so long! Are you excited about the tour?”

 

“Yeah, but um… shouldn’t we save those questions for the interview?” Archie said, noticing the look Veronica was shooting him. She was all business during things like this, and this  _ was  _ a big interview. Him socializing was probably getting on her nerves.

 

“You’re right,” Betty said, thinking for a second. “How is your mother? I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to ask that during the interview.” She smiled, and Archie returned it. Veronica half-listened, playing on her phone to distract herself.

 

“She’s doing well, just got a promotion at the firm,” Archie said, “She’s really busy lately, but she says she’ll still find time to see me on tour.”

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful, I loved your mother.” Betty’s eyes were wide, and she looked from Archie to Veronica as if thinking about something very different from Archie’s mother. In an undertone, she asked, “Friend to friend, are you and Veronica-?”

 

“-We’re on in five,” Veronica interrupted, shooting both Betty and Archie a glare. “And for the record, I’d prefer we keep questions about our personal lives to a minimum. This is a promotion for the tour, after all.”

 

“Thank you, Veronica. Anyways, Archie, how was high school?” Betty managed to keep up the small talk with Archie until they were on, much to Veronica’s displeasure.

 

Veronica and Archie got their own microphones and took their seats on the small white couch. Betty sat next to them, fumbling with her microphone as she sat down.

 

“Hey, you guys should um, sit closer together,” she said to Archie. “Headset says it’s not clear who’s the celebrity.” Veronica didn’t think Betty had said anything into her small earpiece in all the time she had been talking to Archie.

 

They shuffled around in their seats, and the cameraman counted down to them going live. The  _ Enquirer _ wanted to shoot a live version first, then edit into small clips for the article. It was streaming on Youtube as well, which didn’t help Archie’s nerves, his palms were already sweaty.

 

“Hello there, I’m Elizabeth Cooper, reporter for the  _ Enquirer _ , here today with Veronica Lodge and Arch Andrews. We’re here today to talk about Veronica’s upcoming tour and her album by the same name, ‘Pretty Game.’ So, Veronica, what are you most looking forward to for touring with Archie here?” Her eyes went from the teleprompter to the cards in her hand, and she faced Veronica completely, still holding that wide smile.

 

“I’m looking forward to seeing an audience react to my songs,” Veronica said, giving the camera a small smile before turning back to Betty. “I love my fans, and I’ve gotten to perform a song here and there at clubs, but I’ve never had that concert atmosphere. I’m so excited to have thousands of people singing my songs along with me. I’ve never had that before.”

 

“Wow, and Arch here is just tagging along?” Betty asked, attempting a sort of canned humor. She wasn’t looking at the cards, and Archie caught two producers whispering angrily at one another.

 

“No, I get to perform my own songs, and of course help support Veronica on and off the stage. I’m really looking forward to it, I’ll get to meet some of my own fans as well,” Archie answered, silently grateful that his voice hadn’t faltered. Was it normal to be this nervous? Veronica wasn’t, and Betty was the opposite of nervous right now-Archie’s memories of her were foggy, but he recalled that she tended to bite her lip when she was scared.

 

“Speaking of that support,” Betty said, looking at a card in her hand, “apparently there’s a small but very dedicated group of fans who claim to support ‘varchie.’ What do you guys have to say for that?”

 

Archie felt the knots tighten in his stomach, he wasn’t ready to discuss this. Veronica saw his shocked face and stepped in. “Well, we’re great friends, of course, but there’s really nothing happening here. Archie’s like a brother to me, he’s been helping me with songs since my Youtube days.”

 

“Really? Tell me more about how you two met,” Betty said, her eyes a little too wide for Veronica’s liking. “ _ Archie _ , what do you remember?”

 

Sitting in the metaphorical, but somewhat literal hot seat, Archie answered, “I saw one of her covers online, and I thought, ‘Wow, she can sing!’ So I messaged her-on Instagram, right?” He looked at Veronica for support. She gave him a nod.

 

“Sliding into the DMs, Arch Andrews? I didn’t know you were such a stud,” Betty teased, but Archie barely heard a word she said.

 

“I mean, I believe the first thing he sent me was ‘you have a really nice voice, how do you do it?’ I started out giving him voice tips, and he helped me figure out how to write my own songs and move beyond covers,” Veronica answered curtly. She tapped her watch and made eye contact with the cameraman, mouthing “Time?” He answered with three fingers.

 

Three minutes. “Is there anyone else in the picture for either of you?” Betty asked, looking directly at Archie.

 

“No, not at the moment. I don’t think I could keep a, um, girlfriend during tour.” Archie almost said “girlfriend or boyfriend” before remembering that he did  _ not  _ want to come out to his childhood friend on live television when he had no idea how receptive she was to queer people (Littleton  _ was  _ a small town) and she had just spent the last couple minutes implying that he and Veronica were dating.

 

“What about a girlfriend who stayed on the tour bus with you?” Betty asked, giving Veronica a not-so-subtle look.

 

“Well, I mean, my friend Cheryl Blossom is tagging along, but I’m pretty sure she’s a lesbian,” Veronica said, smiling at Betty.

 

Betty was speechless for a good five seconds. Veronica was more than a little pleased with her reaction. She fumbled for her cards, looking for something neutral to move on to. “Veronica, I love your…hair. What’s your secret? It’s so, uh, fluffy.”

 

“Um, it’s nothing, just a little dry shampoo, thanks to your awesome hair and makeup team here,” Veronica said, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her ear.

 

The topic stayed far away from romance for the rest of the interview, and the  _ Enquirer  _ got all the clips that it needed. The producers gave Betty a thumbs-up from behind the camera, and they all waved goodbye before the camera turned off.

 

Archie slumped over in his seat. “Let’s never do another interview again, Ronnie.”

 

“Good plan,” Veronica said in an undertone, shooting a glance at Betty as she got up from the couch and walked away. “She hasn’t changed much since high school, that’s for sure.”

 

“You went to highschool with Betty?” Archie asked. “That’s so weird.”

 

“It’s a small world. You knew her when you guys were like, kids, right?” Veronica stood up from the couch. “We should get going.”

 

“Our parents were friends, yeah. I don’t remember her very much, I left for Chicago after middle school. We were never super close. What was she like in high school?” Archie asked, following Veronica out of the studio.

 

“Really studious, always writing. She was my friend for a bit, we were ‘B and V’ but it didn’t really last. Betty tended to get on my nerves sometimes, and I wasn’t a fan of a lot of the stuff she did,” Veronica said, mostly apathetic about the topic.

 

“That makes sense, I don’t think I want to get back in touch with her,” Archie said, shrugging. 

 

“Hey, she’s the one interviewing us, not the other way around,” Veronica said, opening the door to the studio.

 

Archie breathed in the fresh air. “I can’t wait for the tour.”

 

“Me neither.”


	5. Chapter 5

veronica glanced at the clock again, heart racing and butterflies in her stomach. cheryl was coming over at five to help her pack, and it was a quarter-till. the apartment was spotless- veronica tended to clean when she got anxious- and her closet had already been picked through for what she was absolutely not bringing. still, she needed help narrowing down what everyday clothes she wanted to bring- her costumes had been carefully thought out and, of course, packed separately. still, this was her first concert and veronica wanted to make sure she looked perfect. she was basically advertising her exact location for the next few months- veronica expected photos (from paparazzi and fans alike) to be a daily occurrence. 

the singer shook her head to clear her mind, fussing with a lamp to make sure it was perfect. once veronica was satisfied, she moved towards the bed, smoothing the bedsheets.

and then, finally, cheryl’s voice crackled over the apartment speakers. 

“hey, i’m downstairs. mind buzzing me in?”

“of course!” she replied, jumping up and buzzing the redhead in. veronica gave the apartment one last lookover, making sure everything was neat and tidy before walking to the door to meet cheryl.

“m’lady”, she greeted with a grin, opening the door. cheryl giggled, looking around the apartment.

“aw, lodge, you didn't have to clean just for me.” veronica’s cheeks turned a shade pinker. “anyways, you said you needed my help narrowing down what you want to bring?”

“yes! you’re really good at fashion and all that so i figured who would be better to ask for help? plus i'm just really stressed so you’re here to keep me from freaking out.”

cheryl nodded, practically launching herself onto veronicas bed. veronica winced as the bedsheets crumpled around her, before moving towards her closet. 

“so, this side,” she began, gesturing towards the right side of her closet, “is clothes that i will definitely not be wearing. this side, on the other hand.” she gestured towards the left side, which had noticeably more clothes. “is what i have to whittle down for this tour.”

cheryl grinned. “show me everything!”

veronica smiled back at the redhead, pulling a stack of dresses from the closet. 

the pair spent the evening going through veronica's closet, pausing only to eat some chinese takeout for dinner. it was late by the time they finished. veronica collapsed onto the bed, tired.

“ugh, thank you so much for helping me. that would've been hellish on my own. i’m so tired as it is.”

cheryl patted veronicas shoulder. “there, there, lodge. we had fun today though, right?” the redhead grinned at veronica.

“hell yeah.” the pair lapsed into a comfortable silence. 

and then the door burst open. 

“veronica, you will not believe what i just found out,” archie announced. “you know the journalist they’re assigning us for the tour? i just-“ archie cut off when he noticed cheryl lounging with veronica on her bed. “oh, hey cheryl.”

“hi archie. its jughead, right? jones? he’s one of my best friends.” veronica opened her mouth to talk, but cheryl cut her off with “yes veronica, the one you went to high school with. how many jugheads do you even know?” 

“hey, you don’t know! i’m sure that jughead is a very popular name somewhere,” veronica spluttered. 

“listen, veronica, i know you’re trying to be threatening or whatever but you’re like a little puppy when you’re mad”

veronica shoved cheryl from her position on the bed. cheryl gasped over-exaggeratedly, shoving back. the two girls continued play-fighting until archie cleared his throat from his position in the doorway. 

“sorry.” veronica looked up with a sheepish grin. 

“anyways, yes, it’s jughead jones, and- veronica he's actually really cute help.” archie rushed the last part out in one breath. 

cheryl let out a laugh at that, so veronica hit her in the stomach. 

“god, cheryl! let the man live!” cheryl rolled her eyes at veronica, but veronica saw the grin she was barely hiding. 

“sorry, sorry. archie, do continue.”

“oh, i- i really don't have anything else to add. just… he's really cute veronica. that’s all.” archie left the room. 

“what a disaster,” cheryl muttered under her breath as soon as archie had gone. 

“hey, that's my best friend you’re talking about! cut him some slack, if you're coming on tour with us you’ll be living with him for like, ever.”

“oh shit that's right! i was gonna tell you i have permission to come with you.” veronica cheered. “i do still have to fill some commitments and do some photoshoots, but…”

“all on tour stops?”

“all on tour stops! honestly, lodge, i am so excited to tour the country with you. these next few months are going to be amazing.” cheryl was positively beaming with those words, and veronica couldn't help the blush that had begun to rise in her cheeks. 

“of course!” veronica beamed right back at the model. “i’m so glad you're able to come with. i don't know how else i would survive the combined forces of jughead and archie. speaking of them- they’re definitely getting together at some point on the tour, right?”

“oh, absolutely.” the two sat in silence for a couple seconds, before cheryl pulled out her phone to check the time. “shit!” she exclaimed. 

“what's wrong?”

“it's ten thirty, and i have an early morning shoot tomorrow. i gotta head out- but ill see you soon, right?”

“of course! hey, want me to walk you to the door?”

“oh, how chivalrous. who am i to refuse such an offer?”

veronica chuckled, pulling herself off the bed. she grabbed cheryl's arm and pulled her up too. the duo walked to the door, no one having anything to add to the conversation.

they reached the door far too soon for veronicas liking, but she still said goodbye to cheryl more times than were strictly necessary. all in all, veronica thought, smoothing out her bedsheets and surveying her suitcases, the night was a total success. packing? check. flirting with cheryl? check. the only thing she could’ve improved on was actually making a move- but that could wait till next time.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late, late enough that Jughead was strategically ignoring the small digital clock at the top of his phone. He was going through Arch Andrew’s profile for the millionth time, partially in preparation for  _ meeting  _ him and also because, well, he hated to be a stereotypical gay guy slash straight girl, but his abs were hot.

 

“Hey Jug, did you get a girlfriend yet?” Jughead’s roommate, the continually insufferable Reggie Mantle asked from the kitchen, looking over the counter to try and look at Jughead’s phone.

 

Oh, to be an oblivious straight guy. What  _ was  _ Reggie doing up, anyways, weren’t all his dumb football games on during the day? “No, I haven’t, as a matter of fact,” Jughead said, turning off his phone to give Reggie the stink eye. Ah, so he was raiding the fridge for food. Reggie stuck something in the microwave, and Jughead realized he wanted to be left alone.

 

As Jughead looked on, disgusted, Reggie finished off a carton of orange juice without so much as  _ glancing  _ at the perfectly good cups that were available. If New York rent was any lower, Jughead would move out of here in a heartbeat.

 

“What about that Instagram chick, Cheryl? She seems pret-ty hot to me,” Reggie said, foraging through the cupboards. Jughead had to hand it to him, at least the jock cared about Jughead’s life, in his own special way.

 

“We’re just friends, I don’t think she’s interested,” Jughead said, wondering if Reggie even had half of a clue that she was a lesbian.

 

Reggie put the jug of orange juice back in the fridge, and Jughead quietly suppressed a gag. “Friendzone, dude. That sucks. Hey, I’ve got some lady friends I’m going clubbing with next week, wanna come? You need a girl to fix that whole eboy thing you’ve got going on.”

 

Jughead, still very much gay, pondered the many responses he could give to his roommate. He decided to set the record straight. “I am _not_ an eboy. I’m _hipster_ with a touch of _emo_.. And I don’t think I can come, I have a traveling assignment that starts, um—”  Jughead checked the calendar on his phone, squinting at the bright light. “Today? Wait, tomorrow. It’s tomorrow.” Shit, he was so not packed. But hey, Archie’s instagram page was one click away, so who had to care about that.

 

“Oh yeah, you’re covering that Veronica chick, right? She’s hot, and if you’re going to be interviewing her a lot…” Reggie made a suggestive eyebrow raise, several hand gestures, and one lewd sign. He took his food out of the microwave, still looking at Jughead.

 

Why were straight men like this, Jughead wondered. “Unlike you, I don’t think getting into an international superstar’s pants is a good objective for reporting on her tour. You don’t need to worry about my dating life, okay? I can manage on my own, I got myself a girlfriend in high school.” He neglected to mention that he’d hated her, but it was enough to pacify Reggie.

 

“Alright, tiger. I trust you to find yourself a hot girl on the road, on your own. Just tell me if anything happens,” Reggie said, exiting the kitchen and returning to his den. Den as in bedroom, but it was dark and dirty enough that Jughead couldn’t see it as a room, really.

 

Speaking of rooms, Jughead really needed to turn off his phone so that he could be well-rested and packed for meeting the  _ real  _ Archie Andrews. He pressed the power button, and got off the sofa. Walking to his room, Jughead mentally catalogued what he would need to take with him on the tour.

 

He flicked on the light to his room, and took a look at his wall clock. One o’clock in the morning. Better to get it done now and sleep in later, Jughead decided, dragging his suitcase out from under the bed. Was he ready to meet the guy of his dreams? Jughead threw his toothbrush in his suitcase, too tired to figure out an answer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall! just a heads up that we’re gonna (try to) start posting every week!

today was the day. today, the tour would start. yes, the first concert wasn’t for a couple days, but today veronica and archie would be meeting (or in veronicas case, re-meeting) their live-in journalist and getting settled in the tour bus. 

veronica was nervous, but she was mostly excited. this was what she had been working for for almost her entire life. to have this chance, touring the country doing what she loved - veronica was forever grateful to the people in her life who brought her here. 

“and thats enough of me pre-writing my oscars speech,” veronica muttered to herself, stopping her train of thought. she pushed herself out of the chair she had been sitting on. “archie, come on!” she yelled through his bedroom door at her best friend. the redhead had pushed her out earlier, no doubt wanting to keep veronica in the dark about the fact that he had barely packed and was currently throwing all of his clothes in a suitcase. his efforts, however, were clearly futile - veronica was fully aware of what archie was doing in his bedroom. 

“i’m coming!” archie shouted back, no doubt shoving the last of his clothes into his suitcase. finally, the redhead opened the door. “you ready to head over to the tour bus?”

veronica stared at archie. “ive been waiting for the last fifteen minutes.” archie didnt respond, just smiled sheepishly. “now come on, i want to be there before jughead. we want our first impression to be good, right?”

————

“so this is it, huh,” veronica breathed, looking at the tour bus. there was nothing special about it, but it had finally sunk in: this was veronicas home for the next few months. she would finally achieve her dream of performing in sold out theaters. she turned to archie in an unexpected moment of emotion and hugged him. he was her best friend and there was no way she would've gotten where she was without him. “thanks for supporting me,” she said, looking up at him. “now, lets drop our stuff off and explore. we’ve got-“ veronica checked her phone- “ten minutes ‘til jugheads supposed to arrive.”

the pair spent those ten minutes exploring the bus. they had combed it top to bottom when jughead arrived. 

“hello?” he called, stepping through the door. “it’s me, jughead.”

“hey!” veronica responded, moving to the front of the bus. “its been so long!”

archie followed moments later, though he froze when he saw jughead. “h- hi,” he stuttered out. 

“you must be archie,” jughead said, staring at the redhead. 

veronica rolled her eyes internally. of course archie would fall for the one person touring with them that he had to be professional around. at least jughead was gay.


	8. Chapter 8

As Hollywood-chic as the tour bus was, it only took a day or so for Archie to get sick of it. It was cramped, and besides, he wanted to see the rest of New York City. This was Ronnie’s hometown, not his, and their first concert was tomorrow. Also, he wanted to get to know Jughead.

The reporter seemed like an interesting guy— he’d mostly kept to himself — and Archie’s manager had told him, in no uncertain terms, that the publicity for this tour could make or break his career. On a more personal level, Archie wanted to know what was hiding underneath Jughead’s beanie and his quiet demeanor.

“Hey Veronica,” Archie said, to his friend who was sitting five feet away from him on the other top bunk. “Do you know any good bars around here?”

Veronica giggled a little, for no reason that Archie could see. “Hmm… who are you taking? I hope it’s me, because there’s no way I’m letting you go bar-hopping on your own.”

“Um, actually, I was thinking of taking the reporter. Jughead, I think.” Archie swung his legs over the side of his bunk, looking at Veronica, who was reading a book, glasses on. Despite her offer to go, she didn’t look in the mood. Books and clubbing don’t mix well, at least according to Ronnie. Archie had never actually gone out clubbing before, it’s not like Riverdale had much of a night scene in a town where everyone went to bed before ten o’clock.

Lowering her reading glasses to look over at him, Veronica let her book fall in her lap. “Jughead… well, that changes things! I actually went to high school with him, fun fact, so I think I can give you two a solid recommendation. He actually dated a friend of mine for a time— before he moved on to Kevin Keller. They were cute, high school sweethearts, but it didn’t last. I wish I’d stayed in touch with him to know how it ended, though. It was very Breakfast Club of them— the theatre kid and the recluse. I swear, the two of them fulfilled every single gay stereotype during high school. Which was breaking stereotypes in its own way, although I do think I did that a touch more than they did. Being a feminine and out bi girl was… something.”

Archie was already down from the bed, tugging his shoes on and picking out a shirt from his suitcase. “What was the bar’s name again?” he asked, completely tuning out Veronica’s ramble.

She sighed. “Metropolitan. It’s in Brooklyn, so you should call an uber. And, fortunately for you and Jughead, it’s pretty cheap.”

“Metropolitan. Sweet, let me just grab Jughead from the kitchen and then we can get going,” Archie said, giving Veronica the smile that, unbeknownst to him, had already enraptured Jughead Jones. “Thanks for the spot.”

He found Jughead in the kitchen, eating a bag of sea salt and vinegar chips. “Oh, hey Archie. Didn’t see you there,” Jughead said, quickly shoving his phone into his pocket the second he saw Arch. “Want some chips?”

“Um, no thanks, because I was kind of wondering,” Archie began, wondering why his words were sticking in his throat. “Do you want to go get a drink or two, and um, get to know each other? I mean, I can’t exactly have the star reporter, Jughead Jones, on my tour bus without getting to um, know him some more than just your excellent fashion sense.” Archie’s eyes moved from Jughead’s beanie to his black t-shirt to his equally black ripped jeans, not sure what to do now that he’d stopped talking.

It took a few seconds for Jughead to respond, his face flushing slightly as he responded. “Sure, I’d love to become more acquainted with the world-class musician that I’m touring with, especially since I’m just…” A Buzzfeed “reporter” who has never actually written an article for their news section before now. “... so excited for the rest of the tour. Let me get my um…” don’t say condom, don’t say condom “Jacket. Because it might be cold. Then I’ll join you in the uber.”

Jughead bolted out of the room and dove into his suitcase under his bed which, unfortunately, was underneath Arch’s bed because Cheryl had already claimed the one under Veronica’s. Trying and failing to not ponder the sheer embarrassment of having in-the-flesh Archie Andrews walk into the kitchen while he had Archie Andrews’ instagram page up on his phone, he grabbed his old leather jacket (with a snake on it, because Toni had bought it for him as a gag gift) and took a deep breath to steady himself before walking back into the kitchen.

Archie Andrews felt a little awkward with his hand in the bag of chips that Jughead had just been eating, but they were addictively good and he was still waiting for the uber. He took note of how the leather jacket Jughead wore fit him well, like the sort of thing Jughead had worn enough that it had just become a part of him. “The uber’s going to be here in a couple minutes, you ready?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to go. I wasn’t expecting this like, at all, but I mean, getting a drink barely requires a lot of preparation. Unless you’re Cheryl, in which case it’s usually an hour of raiding her closet for the best outfit and four selfies before we even reach the bar,” Jughead said, secretly very glad that his friendship with Cheryl meant that he knew rich people took ubers to clubs, not the bus. Or just walking, honestly. Just because Jughead had never actually been to a bar unless Cheryl dragged him didn’t mean that he didn’t know exactly how he’d do it without her.

“Sounds a lot like Veronica, but add the fourteen calls to the manager of the club so that she can get free drinks,” Archie said, laughing a little. His phone dinged in his pocket. “Oh, our uber’s here.”

They got in the uber, and instead of the awkwardly silent drive that Jughead had expected from someone who was as undoubtedly cool as Arch Andrews, the singer talked his ear off. From exploits with Veronica to ridiculous high school stories in Chicago, Arch had no problem sharing his life with someone that he barely knew.

And Jughead found himself, the guy who barely bothered saying more than four words to anyone unless it was via email, talking just as much. He told Archie about all the shit Cheryl had dragged him into, including when she’d demanded that he, as her best friend, find her a girlfriend, and, since it was four AM on a Friday night, Jughead prank called Toni.

“Wait, they actually got together?” Archie said, shaking his head.

“Cheryl and Toni, or fucking Choni, as Cheryl insisted on calling them, went strong all throughout our sophomore, junior, and senior year of college. I don’t know why I decided to play drunk Cupid in that moment, but I don’t regret it,” Jughead said, smiling at Archie’s attentiveness. Their uber pulled up next to the club, and Archie held the door open like a gentleman for Jughead, who wished that his beanie could become a ski mask so that his blush wouldn’t be so obvious. He could only imagine how much he looked like the cousin of a tomato.

They walked inside, and ordered drinks. Jughead took one look at the vibrantly colored menu full of words he couldn’t pronounce, and said “I’ll have what he’s having.” The bartender shot him a wink as he slid their drinks across the bar. Noting that the bartender was shirtless, Jughead took a sip of his not-half-bad cocktail and focused his attention back to Archie.

“So, Toni Topaz. How do you know her? She’s a Youtuber, and um, that doesn’t exactly seem like your crowd,” Archie said, once again taking in Jughead’s “It’s not a phase, mom” outfit.

“It’s not, really. Actually, we were friends way back in high school, she’s a part of my silly friend group. She actually gave me this jacket, by the way,” Jughead said, spinning around in the bar stool to show the back of it. “Which has a snake on it, because our groupchat name throughout all of high school was the Serpents.”

“No way, that’s so cool. Why the Serpents? Snakes are kind of gross,” Archie said, taking a drink from his glass.

“Like all good stories, this one begins with a Taylor Swift song,” Jughead said, feeling a wave of nostalgia as he remembered how it happened. “Okay, so there’s this guy in our group, goes by Fangs. He, for reasons I will never understand, was obsessed with Taylor Swift. Now, I don’t think she’s half bad, but this was next level. Anyways, you know that one video with all the snakes?”

“Yeah, I know it. Where is this going?” Archie said, resting his elbows on the bar and leaning closer to Jughead. “I’m captivated, you’re a really good storyteller. I can see why you’re a reporter.”

Jughead laughed, because this was an absolute gem of a story. “So, approximately five seconds after the video drops, Fangs decides to change the chat name to ‘Snake Bros’ with like, five snake emojis. Anyways, we were all immediately like, ‘No. Dude, don’t drag me into this. We support you, but for god’s sake the groupchat title can’t be about snakes.’ To which Toni, wise-ass as always, responds with ‘we should make it Snakes On A Plane.’”

That got a laugh out of Archie, and Jughead couldn’t remember enjoying a sound more. “But Fangs is insistent that we need to have a ‘squad,’ because he watched the video again while we were all going ‘Fangs dude, what the fuck.’ And he keeps saying that if we won’t be Swifties with him, that we at least need something that relates to his interests as a groupchat title. So obviously, no more titles with B emojis. Which is a tragedy of epic proportions, but that’s besides the point. Sweet Pea, who wasn’t Fangs’ boyfriend yet, but was getting there, suggested ‘Serpents’ because it sounded badass.”

“Okay, that’s good. And, let me guess, it stuck?”

“No, absolutely not. Betty had a freak out about how much she just hates snakes, Toni changed it to ‘Big Chungus’ at least eight times, I think I turned it into ‘Sad Emo Squad’ before Fangs changed it to fifteen more snake emojis. At a certain point, I believe that Fangs and Joaquin had a shouting match,” Jughead said, taking another drink and wondering if he could get lost in Archie’s deep brown eyes.

“That’s awful. Wait, how did you end up becoming the Serpents, then?” Archie asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“Me and Toni bought Fangs a stuffed snake to try and keep the peace, and quietly asked him if we could just call it ‘Serpents,’ if that would be okay with him. Fortunately for everyone’s collective sanity, he said yes.”

Archie smiled and laughed, returning Jughead’s tale with a yarn of his own. It was almost midnight before Veronica texted them to remind them that yes, they had a show tomorrow. As they slouched against each other on the ride back, Archie and Jughead wondered how people could go from being complete strangers, from pixels on a screen to someone captivating in every way.


	9. Chapter 9

cheryl smiled at the lady working at the flower shop, sliding the money across the counter. she had decided that tonight was the night she confessed to veronica, and everything had to be perfect - which meant creating a bouquet especially for the singer. every flower had been hand-picked with their specific meanings in mind. with that sorted out, cheryl knew it was time for her to see veronica at her hotel room. 

the redhead decided to walk the few blocks to veronica’s hotel room, rather than catch a taxi. the night air was cool, but not so cool that cheryl couldn’t handle it. the city wasn't quiet, of course - new york never slept, and that was one of the things cheryl loved about it. but this late, no-one bothered cheryl as she walked to veronica’s hotel. eventually, cheryl reached the hotel room the singer was staying in. she took a deep breath to steel her nerves before knocking on veronica’s door. 

“cheryl? what are you…” veronica trailed off, noticing the bouquet cheryl was holding. “are those for me?”

“yeah, can i come in?” cheryl asked, heat rising to her cheeks. veronica nodded, opening the door wider. she led cheryl to her bed, motioning for her to sit next to her. 

“so, any reason for the flowers?” veronica asked, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. 

“to congratulate you on your first show - which was incredible by the way - and also -“ cheryl cut herself off. “can i tell you what these all mean?” she knew that to veronica, it must seem like cheryl was just abruptly changing the subject, but the redhead knew that there was no way she would be able to say the words directly. this was the only way for cheryl to tell veronica what she needed to say. 

“uh, sure?” veronica was visibly flustered. 

“thanks.” cheryl was aware that she was definitely confusing veronica at this point, but she hoped it would end up making sense. for now… cheryl gestured to a large red flower that looked like crumpled up tissue paper. “that’s a red carnation. it means ‘my heart aches for you’. and that one — “ cheryl motioned to a red flower with white edges “ — is gloxinia. ‘love at first sight’” cheryl was beginning to see understanding dawn in veronicas eyes, but she continued explaining the bouquet. “those little white ones? those are myrtle. they mean love. the roses are coral, so they symbolize desire.

“cheryl, where’d you learn all this?” veronica was whispering, not wanting to break the bubble they had created. during the conversation, they had migrated closer, and cheryl could feel veronica’s thigh pressed against hers. 

“private school teaches you lots of things that end up being irrelevant in the real world. like those pink flowers? they’re camellias and they mean longing.” cheryl could feel veronicas eyes on her. “and finally, the yellow and white ones are jonquil. they mean, uh,” and this was it. the moment of truth. there was no coming back from this. “they mean a desire for affection returned.”

they sat in silence for a few seconds, before veronica began to speak. “cheryl,” she breathed out, and oh god oh fuck cheryl had messed everything up and she had ruined her relationship with her best (girl) friend — “can i kiss you?”

cheryl’s brain short circuited and she barely had time to nod before veronicas lips were on hers and they were kissing. the kiss was soft, but there was an undertone of desperation to it — this was something veronica had wanted badly for so long too. they broke apart for air before continuing to make out, this second kiss much more desperate than the first. eventually, they broke apart, both panting. cheryl had no words. in all honesty, she was still a little in awe that she had finally gotten her shit together and confessed to veronica. but luckily, veronica chose to talk. 

“cheryl,” veronica breathed out. “i love you too.”


	10. Chapter 10

The lights went down, and the stadium deflated with them. First concert of the tour, Madison Square Garden, and it was over and done. Arch and Veronica waved at their fans one last time before slipping backstage. It had been proposed for them to do a stage-door sort of thing after this concert, but right then and there Archie was glad it had been shot down. He was too tired to do anything but lunge for his water bottle. This was nuts, this was crazy. Thousands of people had just sung along to  _ his  _ song, at one of the world’s biggest venues, and no, it wasn’t a dream.

 

Jughead had been waiting backstage for oh, the whole show. There wasn’t a seat reserved for him—just the local press, apparently. Veronica’s manager, who was clearly used to dealing with people with a lot more money than he had, reassured him that he’d have front row seats to every concert after this. Jug did not mind, mainly because his spot near the backdrop gave him a great view of Archie’s er, behind. Plus, he could con Cheryl into giving him concert tickets anytime he wanted.

 

Now that the concert was over, Archie and Veronica both made a beeline for backstage, exhausted and sweaty. Jughead watched, perhaps a bit too intently, as Archie took long gulps from his water bottle, trying and failing to not think dirty thoughts. Once Arch finished, his attention turned, inexplicably, to Jughead. Figuring that this was probably going to be some bro-ritual, Jughead stuck out his hand for a handshake. Archie gave him a bear hug.

 

He was warm, and definitely sweaty, but that didn’t stop Jughead from closing his eyes and trying to capture this moment in his memory forever. Because he’d never really understood the meaning of  _ showbuzz  _ before—and that was what it had to be, not something as dumb and cliche as  _ love in the air _ — and Jughead could feel the life, the energy pulsing through Archie. It spread to him too, getting Jug almost drunk on the feeling. A thousand times better than being high.

 

Archie separated from him, and Jughead stammered out a “Good show, Arch,” whilst trying to retain his composure.

 

“I know, right. That was wild, there were just so many people. Did you see the lights? They lit up the whole stadium, man, everybody had one. They loved us. They loved me, they loved  _ Ronnie, _ I’m sure that if you’d’ve been up there, they would have loved you too.” He looked at Jughead with such intensity, so genuine and honest, and Jug felt something inside of him melt.

 

“I can’t even sing, I don’t know why they would, um,  _ love _ , me,” Jughead said, feeling the heat rising to his cheeks. Archie’s were already flushed with exertion, he’d been jumping all around on that stage for hours, like the Energizer bunny.

 

“They would. I promise you, they would. Anyways, speaking of love, I’ve been wanting to point this out all week.” Archie spun Jughead around by the shoulders and pointed at Veronica and Cheryl. He bounced up and down, practically buzzing with excitement. “She’s on Cheryl’s lap.”

 

Jughead nodded, still caught up in Archie’s bubble of showbuzz. “Where are you going with this?”

 

Arch spun him back around, so that they were face-to-face, with a little less than a foot between them. “I know Cheryl is a good friend of yours, and I know you’re not blind. There’s  _ something  _ there.”

 

“Okay.” He was so close Jughead could smell the gunpowder from the pyrotechnics, a scent he hadn’t properly noticed before.

 

“So, as their solemn and devoted friends and tour-bus-mates, we—” He gestured at the space between him and Jughead “— have to make sure they get together. I bet you’ve seen them flirting before, the way they’re always making plans.”

 

“But they’re both equally oblivious and might need a nudge or two from us?” Jughead said, a smile spreading across his face. The idea of doing anything with Archie made his stomach start playing jump-rope with his intestines, but in a good way.

 

“Yeah,” Archie said, holding on to Jughead’s gaze. It felt like nothing else ever existed, they were in a bubble that was just the two of them. For a second, Jughead contemplated leaning in, wondering what it would feel like to have— 

 

“Afterparty time, gentlemen!” Veronica called from her perch atop Cheryl’s lap. “It is time to get smashed and regret it tomorrow, and unfortunately Cheryl can’t come with us, but I’m sure Jughead here can supply the life of the par-tay!”

 

“I don’t know about that,” Jughead said, still full of thoughts about Archie. It was enough for Veronica and Cheryl, and enough for everyone else who was coming along. Cheryl said farewell to Veronica, disappearing into the night, and Jughead thought that he was very lucky to be spending tonight in the company of Archie Andrews.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> our riverdale tumblr (co-run by the two of us, tho star is much more active) is @milkshake-at-pops ! i (jay) run a riverdale fan account on instagram @chxronicas and star (and this fic) can be found on wattpad at starredwrites ! thank you for reading and we hope you enjoyed!


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